Hearse



W. H. HEISE July 31, .1934.

HEARSE Filed March 26, 1927- 3 Sheets-Sheet l blil' lllllu I ATTQRNZ'K w. H. HEISE July 31, 1934.

HEARSE Filed March 26, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 2 f/fiy/roz 1 mLL/AM MA ATTOiE/VL'X w. H. HEISE July 31, 1934.

HEARSE Filed March 25 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet a ATToR/vz'x Patented July 31, 1934 HEARSF) I g William Effleisalios Angleles, (lalif assignor t6 Big Rock Ranch Company, a corporation of California Application March 26, 1927, Serial No. 128,613

Los Angeles, Calif Claims. (C l.,29616) invention relates to hearses, and it is a the invention to provide a of a standard moved from a position within the casket compartment of the hearse into a position in which one end thereof extends from' one side or from {the opposite side of the compartment. By a con- :struction of this nature the pail-bearers may 1 place the casket on the platform and thereafter swing the platform into a position within the casket compartment; This is a decided advantage over previous hearses which required the casket to be inserted from the back end of the hearse, this usually requiring the pall-bearers to step from the curb into the street.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel "means for guiding the platform into its different positions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a hearse having a platform as previously mentioned in which the platform may be locked. in retracted or extended position. I A further object of my invention is to provide a hearse having a platform, one end' of which .is adjustable as to height.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be made evident hereinafter; I

The invention may be best understood by ref erence to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a horizontal section taken through the body of the hearse, the platform in this view being indicated by dotted lines.

.Fig. 2 is a section taken on Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the platform illustrated in Fig. 2. I

Fig. 4 is a cross section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

the line 2-2 of the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. V p g Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 6-6 of, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentarycross section taken on Theform of the invention shown in the draw ings has a chassis 11 on which a hearse'bod'y' 12 is supported. The body 12 has a chauifers compartment 13 and a casket compartment 14. The casket compartment is elongated-in the direction of travel of the hearse and is substantially completely enclosed. Accessto the casket the platform. Extending the bracket 36 is a shouldered pin 38, this shoul-- compartment 14 maybe had through openings atthe rear end-of the body, theseopenings being closed by rear doors 15. Through the sides of the body at the front end of the casket compartment 14 are side openings 1'7 through which accessmay be had to the interior of the casket compartment; These side openings 17 may be closed "by side doors 18' which are hinged to the body as indicated at 19. The side openings'l'? are wider than the width of an adults'casket but shorter than the length of it. The length of the compartment 14 is of such a size that an adults casketmay be placed therein in a longitudinal position onl Supported in the casket compartment 14 on a floor 21 thereof is a rectangular platform22 as 10 Shown best in Figs. 2 and'3, which is slightly larger in horizontal cross'section than an adults casket.' The platform is narrower than the side openings 1'7 but is longer. Referringparticularly to Figs. 2 and 3 the platform22 has a rectangular metal frame 23 which may be suitably nickel-plated or decorated for appearances sake. Supported inside the frame 23 so that theupper face is flush with the upper face of the' frame is a floor 24. The floor 24 is supported by brackets 30' 25 which are secured'to the frame 23. Castors 27 are provided for removably supporting the platform 23. As illustrated in deta'il'in Fig. 6, each castor 2'7 has a roller 28 which is supported by ayoke 29. Each yoke 29 is pivotally mounted $5- on a bracket 30. which is attachedto the rectan gular frame 23. The castors 2'7 are-so positioned that the platform may follow any course through which it isguidedi 'For the purpose .of guiding the platform 22 through predetermined paths I provide guide means which is illustratedbest in Figs. 1, 2 and 5. Referring particularly to Figs. 2 and 3 the platform 22'is'provided with a primary guide member 33 and a secondary guide member 34. Each of the guide members is typically illustrated in Fig. 5.] A bracket36 is secured to the frame 23 of through a boss-37 of dered pin being secured in place by means of a nut 39.. The lower end of the shouldered pin38 is provided with a head 40 so that a guide roller 41 may be rotatably retained thereon; The guide roller 41 has -a lower annular flange 42'. As'illustrated best in Figsfl; 2 and 5,-the floor 21 0f the casket compartment 14 is provided with-a primary groove'44 and a secondary groove 45. Thefprimary groove 44 extends from the extreme rear end of the casket compartment 14 toa plane drawnsub'sta'ntia'lly through the central parts of the two side openings 1'7. The primary groove 44 has a pair of identically shaped legs 46 which meet in a point as indicated at 47 at the rear part of the casket compartment 14, the forward ends thereof diverging as shown. The secondary groove has a pair of legs 49, the front ends of which occupy positions slightly in front and slightly. inside the front ends of the legs 46. The rear parts of the'le'gs 49 of the secondary groove 45 connect together by means of a rounded portion 50. The rounded siderably in front of the rear part of the primary groove 44 and substantially in the plane of a line drawn through the rear parts of the side openings 17. The legs 49 diverge'as the front ends thereof are approached, at a slightly greater angle than the divergence of the legs 46 of the primary groove 44. Side-.bars 52 are placed along opposite sides of the grooves 44 and 45. As illustrated best in Fig. 5 the side bars'52 are secured in place bybolts 53 which extend through the "floor 21. Edges of the side bars project into .the' grooves so that they are T shaped. The heads 42 of the guide rollers rest in the grooves below theside bars 52, and the rollers are thus retained in place. Upper faces of the side bars 52 are flush with the upper face of the floor 21. The guide ro1ler41 of the primary guide member 33 extends into the primary groove 44, and the guide roller 41'of the secondary guide member 34 extends into the secondary groove 45.

"The platform 22 may be moved from retracted position as indicated by dotted lines 55 in Fig. 1, into an extended'position as indicated by broken lines 56 or into a second extended position as indicated by broken lines 57. When the platform is in afretracted position it is entirely within the casket compartment 14 and is extendingparallel to the longitudinal axis thereof and parallel to the line of motion of the hearse; When in this position the guide rollers'of the primary and secondary guide members are in the extreme rear portions of the primary and secondary grooves. When theplat'fo'rm'is in the extended position in dicated by broken lines 56 of Fig. 1 it is extending in a plane substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the casket compartment 14 and substantially one-half of it is extended through one of the openings 17. The guide 'rollers at this time occupy positions at the extreme front ends of thefgrooves 44 and 45. When the platform is in the other extended position, as indicated by broken lines 57, it is extending transversely 'of the casket compartment 14' and substantially one-half of it is extending through the other of the side openings 17. The guide rollers are in the extreme front ends of the primary. and secondary grooves.

Itis desirable to lock the platform in retracted and in either of the extended positions.' I accomplish this in my invention by locking mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Referring first to Figs. 1 and 4, socket bushings 60 are placed in certain positions on the floor 21, one being placed at the rear end of the compartment immediately in frontof' the rear part of the primary groove 44, one being placed near the front'end of the compartment along the central longitudinal axis thereof, and onebeing placed on opposite sides of the casket compartment directly inside the forward ends of the legs 49 of the secondary groove 45. Thesocket bushingsfio have cylindrical portions 61-which extend through the floor 21 and, to which a securing means 62 is attached for holding the Socket bushings 60in place. The

portion is located consocket bushings 60 each have a socket 63 which connects to the upper end thereof. An upper flange 64 of the socket members extends over the upper face of the floor 21 and is rounded so that it does not have any sharp corners.

Cooperating with the socket bushing 60 is looking mechanism carried by the platform 22. As illustrated'best in Figs. 3 and 4 a rod 66 is extended parallel to the longitudinal axis of the platform 22 below the floor 24 thereof. The rod 66 is rotatably supported by cross channels 67 which are secured to the brackets 25. The forward end of the rod 66 is provided with a pair of lever arms 68', one extending above and the other extending below it. Connected to the ends 'of the lever arms 68 are operating rods 69 which extend laterally outward through the rectangular frame 23 and have handles '70 secured thereto, by means of which they may be operated. As will be noted in Fig. 4 the inner end of one of the rods 69 is bent upward so that it may be connected to the upper end of the upper lever arm 68, whereas the inner end of the other of the operating rods is bent downward for attachment. The right operating rod in Fig. 4 is provided with a compression spring 72 which is compressed between the adjacent wall of the rectangular frame 23, and a washer '73 mounted on this operating rod for returning and yieldably maintaining the parts in the position shown in the drawings. As illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the rod 66 is provided with a plunger 75 at its rear end and a plunger 76 at its forward end. When the parts are in the position shown in the drawings the plungers are adapted to extend into sockets 63 of the socket bushings 60.

When the platform is in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 the'plungers 75 and 76 extend into the sockets of the socket bushings at the back and at the front of the casket compartment.

This holds the platform in retracted position. It is not essential to have the rear socket the platshape at the socket bushings by pulling outward on either of the handles 70. It will be seen that such an operation rotates the rod 66 and swings the plungers upward. No operation of the handle is necessary when the plunger enters the socket 63 since the lower ends thereof will on the flanges 64 and then drop into the socket 6? When the platform, is in either extended position the plunger rests in either of the side socket bushings 60 as will be evident spection of Fig. 1.

As shown in Fig. 2 the floor 24 is of such a shape as to fit inside the rectangular frame 23 and is hinged thereto at so that it is capable of being moved from its solid line position shown in Fig. 2 into its dotted line position 82. This result is accomplished by turning a threaded shaft 83 rotatably mounted in the forward end of the rectangular frame 23 and the forward cross channel 67. A threaded nut 85 is screwed on the shaft 83 and is joined to a pivot block 86 mounted on the underside of the floor 24 by a link 88 as clearly shown in Fig. 2. To the shaft 83 and outside the frame 23 is mounted a crank 89, and the ha t. cked m, peei diha e m e which is f ride upward 1 from an inby a means such as the washer and cotter pin shown in Fig. 2.

The operation of my invention is substantially as follows:

We will consider that the platform is in retracted position and that the side doors 18 are closed. If it is desired to place or remove a casket from the casket compartment 14 through the right side of the hearse, which would be the lower side in Fig. 1, the doors 18 on the right side are opened. The operator may then engage the inner handle and pull it towards him. This will retract the plungers from the sockets of the socket bushings. When they are released, the platform will be pulled from the position shown by dotted lines 55 in Fig. l. The front end of the platform is first pulled sidewardly so that it occupies a position indicated by broken lines of Fig. 1. At this time the platform has not been moved parallel to its longitudinal axis to hardly any extent. The operator then pulls the platform forwardly and the primary groove 44 automatically swings the rear end of the platform to-,

wards the front end of the casket compartment 14. This, of course, swings the front end of the platform rearward to a slight extent. The secondary groove is so shaped that it permits the central part of the platform to move forward. The primary and secondary grooves guide the platform so that it finally arrives at the position indicated by broken lines 56. It should be understood that during this movement the guide roller of the primary guide member 33 moves into the left leg of the primary groove 44, and the guide roller of the secondary guide member 34 moves into the right leg of the secondary groove 45. In the movement of the platform 22 the rear end thereof moves substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the casket compartment 14, and the front end thereof moves substantially transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the casket compartment. When the platform has arrived at the position indicated by dotted lines 56 the plunger '75 will drop into the socket 63 of the socket bushing 60 at the left side of the compartment, thus locking the platform in the position indicated. The casket may be then removed or placed on the platform and the platform returned to retracted position, this being done by first releasing the plunger 75 by operating one of the handles '70 and then swinging the forward end' of the platform forward a slight amount. After this, the operator may push on the platform in the direction of the longitudinal axis thereof and slightly sideward so that it will follow the guide means and return to retracted position.

is highly desirable since it permits the hearse to be parked in either direction according to which most convenient.

Often the hearse is to be loaded or unloaded while standing on sloping ground as for instance, when parked near the curb of a crowned roadway. In thus loading or unloading it is more convenient to have the floor of the platform 22 level. This can be accomplished by turning the crank 89 until the desired position is reached. Before the platform is reinserted in the casket compartment 14 the floor 24 is lowered into its full line position shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 by turning the crank 89 in the opposite direction.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a hearse, the combination of a hearse body; a platform adapted to move from a position inside said body to a position in which it partially projects from an opening in said body; and means for adjusting the level of said platform when in said projected position to partially compensate for a transaxial inclination of said body to facilitate the loading of a casket on said platform.

2. In a hearse, the combination of: a hearse body; a member so mounted that it can be moved from a position inside said body to a position in which it partially projects therefrom, said member moving in a plane fixed with relation to said body; a platform carried by said member; and means for varying the plane of said platform with relation to said member when said platform is in said projected position.

3. In a hearse, the combination of: a closed body having an opening in the side thereof; a platform; means for supporting said platform in such a position that it extends through said opening; and means for tilting said platform to raise or lower one end of said platform to compensate for variations in the position of said body with relation to the horizontal when said platform is in extended position.

4. In ahearse, the combination of: a body;

a frame normally disposed longitudinally within said body and swingaible to a transverse position relative to said body; a platform having an end hinged to said frame and having another end movable vertically relative to said frame; and means for moving said other end of said platform vertically relative to said frame.

5. In a hearse, the combination of: a hearse body having a side doorway; a casket platform normally disposed within said body with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of said body; a support for said platform; means for guiding said support so that said platform may be moved from said normal position to a position in which said platform projects through said doorway; means for hinging said platform to said support so that it can swing about a horizontal axis at right angles to said longitudinal axis; and means for adjusting the position of said platform about said horizontal axis.

, WILLIAM H. I-IEISE. 

